Decisions We Live With
by Rose-By Any Other Username
Summary: It's the day of the testing and Stephanie McMahon isn't as prepared for it as she thought she was. Follow Stephanie as she decides how she wants to live her life. Will she stay with the man who makes her happy or will she choose a whole faction of people who will embrace her as if she had always belonged? *Divergent Based*
1. I Am Whatever I Choose to Be

**A/N: This is a Divergent: by Veronica Roth based story. I had a dream about this idea and decided to write a fic about it. I hope that you will as entertained reading it as I was writing it. As always, please remember to review at the bottom of the page. It lets me know that you want to read more of this story. Enjoy!**

* * *

The sound of our feet pounding along the ground filled the air as we ran alongside the train. As soon as the moment presented itself to us, we jumped onto the moving vessel. We are Dauntless after all, bravery runs in our blood.

Today the atmosphere amongst the black clothed figures was different, because today was the testing, the day where graduating students would find out where they fit into society. Most were confident that they already were where they belonged, but for me, I wasn't so sure.

Dauntless was created for people who are willing to give up everything for their faction, even their own lives. People like Paul Levesque. Everything about him screamed bravery. From his heroic actions to his bulging muscles. But he also was sweet, unlike most cold, dauntless member. That's probably what drew me to him in the first place.

I was sitting on the edge of the compartment car with one leg hanging down towards the rails and the other hugged close to my chest.

One of the figures walked over and knelt beside me, "Nervous, McMahon?'

I scoffed, "More like terrified."

"Come on, you know you can tell me anything," he said, touching my leg, focusing my attention on him.

I sighed, preparing my lie, "I'm scared the test will tell me I'm not Dauntless". The truth was that I was terrified the test would tell me that I belong in my faction.

Paul began to laugh, "You, not Dauntless. Steph, you're the bravest person I know and even if the test tells you different, you don't have to do what the results say."

I nod.

"Everything will be fine. Before you know it, the test will be over and we'll be home. And after the choosing ceremony you'll get your ass kicked by me in initiation," he smirked, shoving me.

"You wish, Levesque," I say, finally smiling.

* * *

"McMahon, Stephanie"

Finally, my name was being called to enter the testing room. Leaving the waiting area, I followed an Erudite woman down to the end of the hallway. She turned to her left and placed her hand onto the scanner on the wall. There was a slight "ding" sound before the door slid open. Inside, there was a reclined chair hooked up to a computer monitor, the walls completely covered by mirrors.

"Have a seat." The woman said.

I walked over and sat in the chair. The women then walked over to the table where the computer sat. She picked up a small vial filled with blue liquid before walking back over to me.

"Drink this."

I brought the vail up to my mouth, drinking the whole thing in one shot. Suddenly, everything disappeared and I was standing back in the waiting area. A table appeared with both a knife and a hunk of cheese sitting on it.

"Pick one," the woman's voice said, though I couldn't see her.

Because of my faction, I should have chosen the knife, but I've had my fair share of violence so I chose the cheese.

The table disappeared, leaving me with the choice I made. Behind me, I heard a slight growling noise. When I turned around to investigate, a large dog began to dash towards me. Thinking quickly, I threw the cheese off into the corner of the room, forcing the charging animal to change course.

I began to smile, feeling good about my previous decision.

"Puppy!"

To my left, a small boy stood, looking excitedly at the dog. The dog, hearing the child, began to snarl and took off in a run towards the boy. I couldn't let the poor kid get mangled, so I took off after the dog, tackling it to the ground.

The scene changed. I was now on a bus with very few people on board, all wearing blank expressions. A man sitting beside me was reading a newspaper, getting angrier as he looked at the picture displayed on the cover.

He turned to me, showing me the page, "You know this man?"

The picture of the person looked familiar, but I didn't want to anger the man more so I just shook my head.

"You're telling me, you don't know this man?!" The man screamed.

I was getting angrier as he yelled at me.

"Look! I told you I didn't know him! Back off!" I screamed back.

Before I knew it, I was back in the testing room. The Erudite woman was typing somethings into the computer before rushing over to me and shoving me towards a different door than what I had come out of.

"You're going to go straight home and tell your family that the serem made you sick," the woman said and she ushered me towards the door.

I stopped walking, "But what about my results. My results are supposed to tell me which faction to choose tomorrow at the ceremony."

"Your results were...inconclusive."

"What do you mean?" I asked worriedly.

The woman sighed, "Your results showed aptitude for Dauntless, Amity, and Abnegation. You're what they call Divergent. Very dangerous if anyone knew, that's why I changed your results to Dauntless. You must not tell anyone about your results."

She shoved me out the door and shutting it behind me.

* * *

The choosing ceremony had begun with all five factions in attendance to welcome its new members. Names were called, decisions made, and then cheers from the faction chosen. I hadn't paid attention to any it because I still had no idea where I wanted to go. I could stay with the Dauntless, the faction my parents had chosen, but that wasn't me. I wanted to go somewhere were I didn't have to be risking my life every day . I wanted to be free to do what I wanted for a change, not to protect people who don't even care anymore. I was pulled from my thoughts when a certain name was read aloud.

"Paul Levesque!"

Paul, my best friend. The only reason I would stay in Dauntless. He understood me. Made me feel like I could be who I wanted to be without ever having to worry about the world around me. I watched as he stood up from a few seats down from me and made his way up to the stage. He picked up the silver knife, cutting his palm deep enough to draw blood. He walked over the the bowl on the end of the stage, and dropped his blood onto the fiery coals.

"Dauntless!" an official announced.

The Dauntless cheered, embracing Paul back into their section. He looked up at me giving me a wink, making me smile.

A few more names were called. Then, mine.

"Stephanie McMahon"

Now or never. I stood and walked towards the stage. When I got there, I looked over the five bowls. I walked over to the bowl with round, grey rocks in it. Abnegation, the selfless faction. Next was a bowl filled with crystal clear water. Erudite, the intelligent faction. Then there was the bowl that held healthy green grass. Amity, the peaceful faction. I moved over to the bowl with shards of broken glass. Candor, the honest faction. Finally, there was the bowl filled with lit coals. Dauntless, the brave and my own faction.

I finally went to the center and picked up the knife, a decision made. I pierced my palm with the tip of the knife, moving to my bowl of choice. I made one last glance up at Paul, as I let my blood drop unto the grass below.

The Dauntless gasp as the Amity cheered.

* * *

Back at the Dauntless compound, I was packing up the rest of my possessions to move to my new faction. About half way through, my door was forced open.

"You're just going to leave then?!" yelled Paul.

"That's the plan." I retorted as I continued packing.

He came over to me and forcefully turned me around to face him. He looked like he was about to cry.

"This isn't a game Stephanie. We had a plan. We were going to stay here, go through training together, become leaders together. But I guess you didn't care."

"I didn't care?! Paul I couldn't stay here and you knew that! I watched my parents die for a faction that deemed them "unfit" to continue to be a part of it. I want to live my life to better my faction, not die before I can even start!" I yelled back.

"Then just leave!" he shouted, "We don't need people like you anyways!"

I gasped, searching his face for any form of regret. Finding none, I responded, "Fine."

Paul paced the room, running his hand through his hair. He stopped, looking me in the eyes, whispering, "I'm sorry, Steph. I'm just so frustrated that you're leaving me. I love you"

I moved closer to him, "I love you, too, but we have to move on now, for our factions."

He sighed, "So this is it, then?"

I nodded.

"Well, then," He pulled me towards him, gently pressing his lips against mine. It lasted a few seconds before he pulled away, "I didn't want you to leave before I could do that."

He walked over to my bag, picking it up and handing it to me, "I'm going to miss you like crazy, McMahon."

I took the bag, forcing myself to smile, "I'll miss you more, Levesque."

I made my way over to the door. This was it, I was really leaving this place for good. Leaving Paul. I couldn't make myself turn around one last time to look at him because I knew if I did, I wouldn't want to leave. I had to do this, for me. So I walked threw the door, leaving my old life behind and entering my new one. A life I had chosen for myself.


	2. Re-Living the Past

**A/N: I'm finally back to writing fics! I don't know if that's a good thing or a bad thing. Any way, I really hope this all makes sense. I had so many ideas for this story and I tried to combined them as well as to drag out the length of the chapter. So let me know what you think. As always, please remember to leave me a review at the bottom of the page, it lets me know you want more and quicker updates. Enjoy!**

* * *

It had been a few years since I had chosen to leave the dauntless for amity. Surprisingly, I was accepted quickly into the faction. They treated me as if I had been there my whole life, unlike the dauntless, who expected me to prove myself each and every day.

I reflected on my past life in dauntless as I walked to work. I didn't miss the dauntless, per say, but I had been missing one since the day I left. I missed Paul.

Amity was supposed to be about reaching pure happiness in life. My mood had improved since the move, but how was I to reach total happiness without him. He was my happiness. He was the one person who I could count on, through thick and thin, and yet I had turned my back on him like he meant nothing. God, I missed him.

As I approached the greenhouse, I got to thinking about the last time I spoke to him. He confessed that he loved me. How many years had I been longing for him to finally say it? Too many! And I had to leave him right after. Some fairytale ending that was.

Opening the door of the building, I was immediately surrounded by children. I kneeled down and hugged the group, causing them to giggle with joy.

"Good morning, Miss Stephanie." They said simultaneously.

"Good morning. Are we ready to begin?" I responded.

They nodded as they rushed over to their tables to begin their day. This was how I gave back to my faction, by educating the young on how we do things in Amity. I walked to the front of the room and gathered pots, bags of soil, and packets of seeds. I then went around to each table and passed out the materials as well as instructing the kids on how the seeds were to be planted. There was more of a mess than progress when I finally got done explaining and helping them prepare the pots, but that was the joy of this job.

As I was helping the last group of girls plant their seeds, I heard a commotion just outside the door. Orders being yelled was extremely out-of-place within the peaceful faction.

Before I had the chance to prepare myself, the door was kicked in and a group of ten men and women wearing black came filing in, guns in hand. I motioned for the children to get behind me before spreading my arms to try to keep the intruders at bay and away from my kids.

"What's the meaning of this?"

The intruders didn't respond. I scanned the face of each of them, hoping that one would speak up and explain why they were here. Finally, a tall, muscular, blonde haired, man entered the room. His black outfit matched the group of intruders and judging by the way the group had split to let him through, he must have been their leader. There was something about him that was oddly familiar.

The man turned to the intruders, yelling his command, "Lower your weapons, we didn't come here to cause any trouble with them!"

"Then why are you here?" I questioned, still standing between the group and my children.

The man turned to me, "We're looking for your faction leader."

I narrowed my eyes, "Why?"

He said nothing as he dug into the pocket of his black jeans and pulled out what looked to be a necklace. A metallic pendant, shaped like flames held together by a hoop which held it to the silver chain.

"A dauntless leader? What do the dauntless want with us?" I answered, slightly concerned that my old faction had invaded my new one.

The man scoffed, "I'm thee dauntless leader. The only and youngest leader in twelve generations. Now I believe the rules state that because I am a faction leader, I have the right to see any other leader in a time of urgency. So if you would…" he trailed off as he motioned to the door.

I looked the man over once more before turning to my kids, "Stay here and continue practicing with the seeds. I'll be right back, I promise."

I turned back round and headed out the door follows by the man and the dauntless soldiers he had brought with him. I made my way past numerous buildings, until I had reached the very center of the faction. There, I approached a glass building with an enormous, old, tree growing in the center of it. I opened the door, allowing myself and the group to enter. I walked up to the base of the tree and an old man came around it to meet me. The man, Pat Patterson, advisor to the Amity faction leader, embraced me before peering around to look at the people I brought to the council building.

"I thought you were teaching today? Who have you brought with you?"

Slightly annoyed, I responded, "I was teaching before I was interrupted by these dauntless."

"Dauntless?" Pat questioned.

I heard the man behind me clear his throat.

I turned around to address him, "Well, get on with it."

"I demanded to meet with the faction leader!" The man yelled in frustration.

"And you're getting one." I said as I pulled out my pendant. It was similar to his, but instead of flames, a tree was attached to the hoop.

The man's eyes went wide, "You're the Amity leader?"

I smirked as I recalled the man's earlier statement, "The only and youngest leader in Amity history."

He narrowed his eyes, "You've got to be kidding me?"

Pat stepped it, "She's telling the truth. Stephanie is our youngest leader and, might I add, is the only leader who transferred factions. She was originally dauntless, I believe."

"The last transfer from dauntless was…" the man took a few steps to get closer to me, "Stephanie?"

I gave him a confused look. I didn't know who he was, but apparently, he knew me.

"Don't you remember me? You have to remember me. We were best friends." He searched my face looking, looking for a sign that I had remembered him.

Suddenly, it clicked. He had more muscles than I remember, but that blonde hair and hazel eyes never changed.

"Paul?"


	3. The Reason Why

He was really here standing right in front of me. I almost don't want to believe this is real. It seemed like forever since I last saw him. He looked much different now. The years had turned the once handsome boy into the rugged, muscular man that stood before him today. It had been at least five years since the choosing ceremony and it wasn't till now that I realized how much people can change in a short amount of time. Yes, he was different now, but looked at his wide grin, I could tell that deep inside him, that boy I knew from childhood was still living and breathing.

I ran from my spot in front of the tree over to where he stood. Seeing me coming, he held out his arms to catch me in an embrace, spinning me around. It felt so good to be in his arms again. I definitely missed this, missed _him_. I missed the way he would protectively hold me, the way he smelled like the nature around him, the way his smile could brighten up the room. Memories came flooding back and it almost felt like we were back in the Dauntless compound, talking about our future and everything that was to come. Some days, I wonder what it would've been like to stay in that faction, to go closer to Paul, and become a leader, standing right beside him in life. That's definitely where I say my future way back then. But when did all of that change?

I felt myself slowing down and coming back into reality. Paul had placed me back on the ground and his face changed from a warm smile to a serious expression in a matter of seconds. Something had to be wrong for him to lose his light and beautiful glow and adopt this rather stern one.

"As much as I love seeing you again, I'm here on urgent business," Paul stated, taking a step back from me.

My face scrunched into confusion, "Alright, umm, let's go somewhere we can discuss this, then."

I gestured for him to follow me, as I headed back up towards the tree. I lead him to a door around the back of the building, out into the lush green fields, far away from the singing workers and the laughing children. Out to where it would be just the two of us, with a wide open view of Amity's flowery scenery.

I turned around and looked at him, his eyes still holding the glimmer that shown when he recognized me, "This should be good enough. So why have you come here?"

Paul sighed, probably wishing he had been here on better terms "The Dauntless have been attacked."

"You expect me to believe that our brave protectors and the only processors' of weapons have been attacked? Forgive me, if I have a hard time with that one." I smirked, almost laughing at the idea.

He looked up at the sky in frustration of my comment. His eyes taking on a darker tone then the glimmer they held earlier. He was growing more and more serious as this went on and it was almost scaring me. Paul was never a serious person, so to speak. He would rather joke around then hold a deep debate with you. But he also knew when things had to be this way.

He leaned over, grasping my hand and dragged me down into a sitting position across from him, like he did when we were children and I refused to listen to him. I sat up straight, preparing myself to what was to come.

"I'm being serious, Stephanie, and an attack on Dauntless should not be taken lightly."

"Okay, fine," I started, "Who attacked you, though. No other faction has the means to take you on or a reason for that matter."

"It's not another faction, though," he paused momentarily, "It's our own."

I stared at him in disbelieve, "It's happening internally? Isn't that your job to keep your faction in line?"

Paul immediately stood up, shaking with anger "Are you challenging me as a leader!"

I was a little taken back by his comment. I knew what type of person he was. He was strong, compassionate, confident, and inspiring. He was more than capable of handling his faction all of his own which proved where he was today. Normally, Dauntless depends on at least three leaders to keep the faction at bay, but Paul stands alone. The only leader in more than twelve generations. I would never, ever think to call him out on being a poor leader and I was a little offended that he thought so little of me.

Without standing, I reached out my hand for him to take, "I wouldn't dream of challenging you. I'm just wondering why your faction is rebelling at the moment."

He refused to take my hand and decided to pace instead, continuing his explanation, "It's not the whole faction, just a few here and there. More people each time it happens. What's odd is that they're not people when these attacks happen. There's never any expression on their faces and they don't say anything. It's like they're zombies. Then when morning comes around, they're back to normal and they don't remember a thing. I don't know what's going on and I don't know how to fix that. That's why I came here, I need help."

I stared at my hands for a few moments, taking in all the information and trying to come up with a reasonable explanation for why this was happening. Nothing like this has ever happened before and if the Dauntless can't handle it, what's to become of the other factions if it began to happen everywhere?

"Has anything out of routine been happening lately? Anything new these people are doing before they take on this "zombie" like state?"

Paul stopping pacing and looked down at me, "Erudite has been sending more fear simulations, recently. New ones for testing, I think."

Simulations! When a person is put under simulation, they're almost in a dream like state. That would explain why the attackers were in a zombie like state, but there is no such simulation that would allow a person to be controlled.

AS if he could read my mind, Paul questioned, "You don't think Erudite is controlling some of the Dauntless, do you?"

I looked up at him, "Even if they were trying to control the faction, why would it only affect some people and not everyone? The simulations are mandatory, right?"

"Everyone goes under the simulation at initiation…unless…" he wondered off.

"Unless what?" I stood up to meet him at eye level, searching his face for some sort of clue.

"During my testing, the results were…inconclusive…The guy testing me told me I was Divergent, which meant that I could control the simulation I was given. So I could change the situation or environment I was put into to. Maybe there are more like me. Maybe not everyone can be controlled."

_Paul was divergent too?_ I remember being told that I was divergent at my testing but the woman testing me never told me what it meant, just that it was dangerous. If Erudite really found out that there were people that couldn't be controlled, they would try to deal with them in a different way. People's lives could be at stake. Paul's life could be at stake.

"Steph?"

Deciding whether to tell Paul the truth, that he wasn't alone and that I was divergent as well, or to keep the secret to myself, I responded, "If such a thing exists, it could be possible that the simulation would only affect the ones who can't fight it off."

I was told at the testing not to reveal my results and I intent to keep it that way. Paul might be my friend but this was a dangerous situation and my faction comes first now and leaving them without a leader would be like feeding them to the wolves and I couldn't allow that.

"So what does this all mean? What do I do?" He asked, hoping that I would have some magical solution to his problem.

I sighed, "There's nothing you can do. There's no way to know for sure that Erudite is doing this on purpose. It might just be a side effect to the new simulation. From what you told me, nothing big has really happened. Just a few people getting up and causing trouble for a few hours and then things go back to normal. It might be nothing, or it could just be the beginning of something. Just stay alert and if something big happens, be ready for it."


End file.
